Skating on thin ice! Polar bear plunges into the icy water after slipping and sliding before finally breaking through
- Polar bears have evolved special large, flat paws for walking on sea ice
- But this specimen from Svalbard nevertheless struggled with its footing
- The Arctic killer ventured off the thick ice that can support his weight
You might expect polar bears, the Artic Circle's apex predators, to be dab hands at dancing on ice.
But as this specimen in Svalbard shows, even after thousands of years of evolutionary adaptation, some still suffer from two-left feet on the frozen ocean.
Heinrich Eggenfellner, a 49-year-old videographer from Norway, said: 'I have encountered polar bears many times every year since I live up here and am used to them.
'This episode, however, was extraordinary.'
Born slippy: A polar walks across thin sea ice in Svalbard, Norway, where it was caught on camera looking very unsteady on its feet as it made its way across the slippery surface
Spreading its weight: The polar bear does its best not to collapse through the fragile ice by spreading out
In its element: The beast finally gave up and pushed a hole in the ice to dive into the freezing water
Mr Eggenfellner and his friend Svein Wik spent hours in Norway's northernmost territory hunting for a polar bear to film and photograph, then hours more waiting for the slumbering beast to wake up.
It was time well spent. The patient duo were treated to a farcical display of slipping and sliding across the frozen sea, with their subject falling flat on its face at least once.
'Maybe we waited 3-4 hours before the bear woke up and came out onto thinner and thinner ice,' Mr Wik told Caters News Agency.
'At one point, it spread out on all four legs to prevent falling thorough the ice until finally the bear gave up, pushed through the ice and started to swim.
'He dived for a few seconds and showed up again, looking up and then started to shake of the water.'
Proud: Polar bears are the Arctic Circle's apex predators and have adapted to the habitat over millennia
Evolution: Regarded as marine mammals because of the many months they spend at sea, polar bears have nevertheless adapted large, flat paws to distribute their bulk as they pad across thin ice
Brains: However this beast seems to have realised that big feet are not enough to stop it smashing through the thin ice and is trying to spread its weight to lessen the pressure beneath it
Weighty: Polar bears can weigh up to 1,100lbs, more than enough to smash through thin layers of frozen sea
Taking a dip: The polar bear pictured just after deciding it was better off taking a swim in the freezing sea
Regarded as marine mammals because of the many months they spend at sea, polar bears have nevertheless adapted large, flat paws to distribute their bulk as they pad across thin ice.
They can weigh up to 1,100lbs, more than enough to smash through layers of frozen sea that would easily hold a man.
Mr Wik added: 'It is difficult to explain my feelings in situations like this. I think the Polar bear is one of the most charismatic animals in the world.
'It was a rare and very interesting situation to watch everything and this was, without doubt, the ultimate wilderness experience for me.'
Stunning: Photographer Svein Wik and videographer Heinrich Eggenfellner spent hours trying to find a polar bear to document in the stark frozen landscape of Svalbard, the Norwegian Arctic territory
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